York County approves moving three polling places after settlement; residents warn of confusion

York County commissioners on April 1 adopted changes to three polling places — Dover Township 2, Dover Township 3 and Fairview Township 4 — following a settlement and a report from the county elections director.

The director of elections, Brian, told the board the moves are part of a long-term strategic plan intended to improve voter experience and reduce costs by consolidating contiguous precincts. He said Dover 2 and Dover 3 are contiguous and that the county meets election-code requirements for moving precincts; Fairview 4 is being relocated from Lewis Bay United Methodist Church to Mount Zion Lutheran Church after an ADA survey, he said.

The change follows a settlement the board approved last week; the director said phase 1 covers Dover 2 and 3 and phase 2 (Dover 1 and 4) will follow next year with further communication to voters. "When we start combining polling places and we share judge of election knowledge, we share resources ... what we've noticed is at least a better voter experience," Brian said, adding the office will send cards and letters to affected voters.

Several members of the public urged the board to reconsider. "You're moving us to the middle school ... It's not really a very good plan to do it that way," Angie Klein of Dover Township told commissioners, arguing the new map would put many voters outside their district and create traffic and accessibility problems. Long-time elections volunteer Gina Myers said Lighthouse Baptist Church has worked "supremely well" as a polling location for decades and warned that combining House districts at a single polling site will create confusion: "You're gonna create confusion and inefficiencies," she said.

The director acknowledged the concerns and said training and additional support for judges of election will be provided where multiple state House districts vote at the same site. "We do provide additional training to our judges, especially newer ones, to make sure that we limit the amount of issues that could potentially happen," he said.

Commissioner Burford moved to adopt the items affecting the Dover and Fairview precincts; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. With the board's approval, the elections office will proceed to notify affected voters and implement the approved changes.

The changes recorded in the motion will be reflected in mailed notifications to voters; the director said the office will continue outreach and training ahead of upcoming elections.